Once the border is open again, we will have to start counting the cost. Nepal will have lost hugely in monetary terms â already the economic damage to the country of the two-month long blockade far exceeds the impact of the earthquake that affected 12 districts in April. Nepalâs already-shaky economy will take years, to recover from the cumulative destruction of the earthquake and the blockade. Nepalâs growth forecasts for the coming years will have to be revised downwards. Development has been pushed back.

Of more immediate humanitarian concern is the effect that the blockade is having on the delivery of relief and construction material to nearly 2 million survivors of the earthquake so they can rebuild before a harsh Himalayan winter. This is an unfolding and ongoing disaster, and unlike the earthquake is completely manmade.

Yet, parachutist journalists from the international media who were so quick to descend on Kathmandu in April are nowhere to be seen. This time, there arenât any visuals of pancaked temples, of bodies crushed under concrete beams, of babies rescued alive after 24 hours being buried under the rubble. A blockade, what lead to it, and what it is doing to us, is too complicated to explain to the outside world. Food scarcity, the shortage of medicines and the lack of fuel is now hurting Nepalis all over Nepal but it does not fit the definition of ânewsâ. So the stories take the predictable on-the-one-hand-this-and-the-other-hand-that approach.

By now, only the propagandists and the most gullible believe that the obstructions at the India-Nepal border are a result of the Madhesi agitation. Indiaâs border SSB and officials at the Indian Oil Corporation have repeatedly let the cat out of the bag: âorders from aboveâ not to let trucks and petroleum tankers to pass through. What is surprising is that the Indians expect us to believe it. Or maybe they donât really care what we believe which, if true, is even more baffling. This will have an impact on Nepalâs stability long into the future by irreversibly polarising hills-plains relations, which in turn will have a bearing on Nepali-speaking India. It will make it doubly difficult to sell any joint river basin project to the Nepali public, and further alienate the Madhesis within Nepal.

The international community is watching aghast. Doesnât New Delhi realise what this is doing, they ask.Â Even Nepalis who have always been sympathetic towards India are bewildered. A long-term Indian resident of Kathmandu said to us the other day: âI have never been as ashamed to be an Indian.â

People here have long stopped buying the argument that this is about the constitution or the Madhesi cause, it is about India out to teach Nepal a lesson that we will not forget any time soon. It may work, or it may not. Either way, it will destroy what trust there was between the two countries. We can just look back at Sri Lanka and hope there is some memory of the price India and its leader paid for playing dirty there. If it is true that this is all about Bihar state elections, then it is even more bizarre.

We will not even try to enumerate the various international treaties that India has violated with the blockade. Enough just to say that it breaches just one code: the one of decency and good neighbourliness. Nepal passed a new constitution adhering to principles of democracy, trying to balance the demands of all interest groups while trying to protect national unity. Despite serious flaws, it is a document that for the first time takes a significant break from our feudal past. The points of disagreement (over demarcation of provinces, etc) can easily be rectified through amendments and the main parties in Kathmandu have publicly pledged to do so.

Nepalâs curse is that we rarely had the pragmatic statesmen we deserved, we never had leaders who lead by example. We either had populist chieftains, greedy demagogues or foolish adventurists. The current crop of leaders in the coalition is to blame for mishandling the constitution process and misreading Delhi. They broke it, so they must fix it.

India expects us to wave the white flag. Our leaders are waving the national flag. Neither is a way out.

8 Responses to “Flag-waving”

If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs … (IF by Rudyard Kipling).

Kunda: Bravo…you pass the test. The men have been separated from the boys. In good times, it is facile to maintain poise of mind and spirit, during adversities are we truly tested to write with balance and grace.

I’ve been chronicling the Siege of Kathmandu since it began, on one of my other blogs, DailyKOS, for a USA readership. read my blog entries athttp://www.dailykos.com/blog/guavaboy

I think I may be the only one trying to interpret the twists and turns. I like to think I’m not a “parachute journalist.”

I will keep this brief: Over and over again, I hear people of Kathmandu asking “Where is the international community? Why don’t they help us?”

There is a simple and direct answer. Everyone in the international community is on the side of the Nepalis of Terai. All of them. Every response has been, for Nepal to get their house in order internally. All of the responses. The UN, the international media, the Human Rights Watch and other INGOs, prominent citizens, the New York Times, and for that matter, the government of China. Not to mention Prashant Jha, who has received an inordinate share of abuse by sharing this same view.

A set of fast-tracked amendments to the new constitution will do wonders. The problems will evaporate and Nepal will walk proudly in the daylight. Focus the energy there.

The Nepalis make adequate use of Indian hospitality and facilities in education and jobs and then spit venom at India. I really think they should seriously let Mr. Prachanda guide them (with help of Indian communist parties) to merge with China. This will also make things easier for India since they will have to defend a border closer to their land! Go Nepalis go where your heart lives!

If India wants to teach a lession , then why is it doing so ? There must have been some reason ! Or you dont just see it because waving a national flag feels heady. Sri lankan crisis had some reason too. Tamil elam wasnt created to teach Sri Lanka a lession. With such peurile line of argument one can only wish best to Nepal.

Wave the buddhist flag and welcome the smart indian. I agree with most twitters that it is nepali managed. And I repeat Baburams Party is wonderful, marvellous.
Madhesi are just nepalese with some oversmart chromosomes. Do not hate intelligent people, this clever as buddhists say is not rotten, it is a way of survival….
The main thing in the federal maoist communist republic of Nepal is to rise from rubble, a little peace here and some shanti there. Happy Dipawali to all nepali times readers and poets.

Marcus Cotton: Elizabeth Hawley remembered…so many stories of the fearsome lady, the terror of mountaineers, etc., but I always found her the most charming, erudite and witty companion when visiting her Dili Bazar flat for lunch with Dudley Spain in days bygone or later just popping in to see her and report news from Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge – from her former days with Tiger Tops, she loved the news of the various lodges, guests and the staff. Ever sharp, she once told me ânever use two syllables where one will do; people write too much in Nepalâ! I sat in awe at her âpre-computer memoryâ (something she shared with Col. Jimmy Roberts of Mountain Travel) a near-total recall of facts, figures and other data minutiae that the coming of easy âfilingâ on computers seems to have atrophied. Elizabeth Hawley was also one of the most self-effacing people, truly interested far more in the world around her to see or assimilate the fascination she held for others. Her 90th...

Dhana R: It is true that “freedom is not free” but the collective sacrifice alone seems insufficient without individual honesty, simplicity, dignity, true patriotism, justice, and fairness to bring socio-economic prosperity. Ironically, both Nepal and South African leaders have repeatedly abused their hard earned posts and dragged their respective countries to the depth of hellish culture of corruption and social injustice. However, if Nepal could just learn from post-independent Singapore for some lesson and their socio-economic achievements over the years, we may change the history of our country in future to come.

PolinaAstakhova: Hello everyone. My name is Polina and I’m from Russia At the moment I’m in the process of writing my master’s thesis on the use of blogs in education. Could you help me a little? Just answer the question here in the comments. What do you consider the most beautiful place for travelling? It can be one place or several ones. I will be very grateful for your help. Beams of goodness all around, as we say in Russia.

Avishek Gyawali: In politics, it is said âNo one is permanent enemy or friendâ. In our case, #Nepal and #India could neither remain a friend nor an enemy, emerging Nepal-India relation into a special relationship. Also read and suggest : http://avishekgyawali.com/nepal-india-relation/

shj: To Anupam Bhutan is not a sell out like Nepal. They have remained one of the happiest countries in the world and tbey cherish friendship with India. Going with China will only harm them and they know that. Thats why Bhutan India treaty is in place. Smaller countries like Bhutan are better off dealing with China indirectly through India after Chinese are known for their coersive tactics especially dealing with smaller countries.

Anupam: It is an utter shame that âIndia lockedâ Bhutan cannot have relation with China! But things would improve should the B-I defence treaty be abrogated, India will have lesser border flash point headaches.

anup: I have high regard for Kunda, but in this instance I want to ask him few honest questions: A) When Nepal was made secular from Hindu rastra was there any kind of consultation or referendum from the general public apart from self proclaimed expert? B) Where were the secularist like you commenting when there was rampant convertion by missinories recently, never seen in Nepal’s history?

AJ Joshi: An article that all Nepalese must read. The only democracy in this age is a secular democracy. Trying to force caste ism (another name for Hinduism) down people’s throat will end up in disaster. Look at India, its shining jewel is its secular democracy despite having about a billion Hindus.

G Sharkey: Thank you for writing âConvenient Untruthâ. I think it is one of the most important and profound pieces Iâve read yet on the current situation.

Suresh Sharma: Kunda, unlike his usual self, has ended the blog with a one-liner bombshell. I hope this is an oversight, and he meant to include this one-liner in his column ‘backside’, but got in this blog inadvertently. CIAA became prone to the abuse by politicians because of the person, not because of the institution. The solution is not to scarp the institution, but strengthen the institution by finding the right person for the job. In the context of Nepal, the right person is the one who does not care for money or fame, but only to do the right thing. It may be difficult but not impossible to find such person.

GN: How about this title for your well written article? “Lokman Singh Karki’s authoritarianism and disdain leadership”

GN: What are the odds of Karki’s impeachment? If not, what is the next step?

Marjolaine Hohberger: Unfortunately Latin America has this experience it was the army and the Plan Condor killing/ disappearing the ‘ left’, mostly students’ movement and campesinos or farmers, Mexico same and to be a journalist is some kind of suicide. Since 94 I heard the same things they said in Peru ‘ stupid gringa you do not understand it has to be by the violence’ . In Nepal they say you do not understand nepali culture…but I witnessed a poor family move away in Kuleswor and I understood exactly where it came from, because I had witnessed it in Peru. We all saw young shitheads with new clothes being paid to pretend to be maoist. In Nepal are no maoist only corrupt gold diggers. I believe some leaders, unfortunately the followers do not defend the interest of the nation or poor people at all. They managed to discredit education by killing so many teachers, none of my children want to be a teacher! Instead they want to be cake delivery boy,...

Gretchen Belnap: Hello Mr. Kunda Dixit, I found this post very interesting, thank you. I work for an educational publication and we are looking for someone with expertise in Nepal for a paid project to review our Nepal report. Please contact me directly if you are interested. Best, Gretchen

GN: Nice, but I think the below title seems more suitable for your well written article. “IMPUNITY FOR ATROCITIES”

GN: A good title for the article could have been , “Opportunities (or challenges) for Prachanda” And please refrain from using big words in your article because majority of the readers prefer simple but touching word flow.

Utsuk Shrestha: I am tempted to write something in against of your argument especially your opposition to the Presidency. I think there is no point arguing the presidential system is undemocratic, albeit the nature of single authority implies the authoritarian leadership. I strongly disagree with your argument that “Absolute power corrupts absolutely”. The role of abuse investigation authority is exaggerated here in Nepal. The nation will know why this is the case in the future hopefully. We love democracy, democracy means tolerance and openness to criticism. An authoritarian leadership does not necessarily mean she is anti people and anti press. However, that may mean anti anarchy and headstrong policies which we think are good for a leader and signs indicating the ability to weather the storms.